


The God of Destruction

by Kaz_MJ



Series: Positive and Negative [2]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: First Meeting, Mention of Killing, outertale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-11
Updated: 2019-09-16
Packaged: 2020-08-19 06:51:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20205535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaz_MJ/pseuds/Kaz_MJ
Summary: Nightmare and his gang meet the God of Destruction, a.k.a. Error, protecting an Au?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thought it was time for Nightmare and the gang to meet Error, someone Nightmare most likely had heard about. This story kinda follows the idea about the forced God of Destruction, which belongs to harrish6. I´m not gonna go too much into detail about it, but it is mentioned/hinted at.
> 
> This took me longer than I thought, not the actual writing (I don´t know how long that took), but I did lose inspiration and desire to write this story for a long time, so yeah. I´m not even done, still need one chapter, but not much is planned in that chapter, so I saw no harm in posting the other chapters. I now hope I will finally start writing the last chapter ;)

Nightmare was getting tired of Ink and Dream intervene when he and his gang was creating negativity. While it was fun to harm those two, they did also hurt his gang members, which forced them to retreat faster than he wanted. He had considered just sending those who got badly hurt back to the hideout first and let the rest of them continue the fight, but the nagging worry about those who got sent back wouldn’t leave him alone.

Ink and Dream had decided to add a new member of their own, the Sans from Underswap. That had apparently happened a little after his gang members attacked that Au. Nightmare was not too worried about that Sans. He acted like most Papyrus’ would, and while that meant he was strong, it also meant he did not like hurting others. Why Ink and Dream decided to bring him along was a mystery to Nightmare, but he rarely thought too much about it. It did not matter anyway.

He had also noticed how he and his gang seemed to have gained some reputation around the Aus. Lately when they travelled to some Au, some of the monsters would recognized them and demand they leave. They never listened to those demands.

Nightmare liked that. If monsters from Aus knew about his gang and, more importantly, feared them, people in the Aus would feel negative emotions without Nightmare having to do anything. This gave him an idea. If an Au many monsters liked was killed, completely destroyed, it would devastate several Aus, spreading negativity even farther. But what Au would many monsters mourn about?

Nightmare thought about that for a long time. He did ask the others if they had any idea as to what Au many monsters would wish they could be in, but none of his gang members had any idea. They had not travelled between Aus like he had, and therefore did not know about many other Aus than their own. Cross did come with a thought that monsters would probably like an Au where they were free on the surface.

That could work. There did not exist many Aus where monsters were never banned Underground. But if Nightmare had to be honest, he also wanted to destroy an Au in which Ink and/or Dream liked, if only just to piss them off.

And just like that Nightmare came up with the perfect Au; Outertale.

Outertale had pretty much the same story as Undertale, except the monsters in Outertale was sent to space instead of Underground. The monsters in Outertale had their own city in space, which gave them access to watch the stars and meteor showers pretty much every day. If monsters from other Aus have heard about the Multiverse, one of the first Aus they took notice of would be Outertale, thanks to the stars, especially if it were a Sans.

Because so many monsters liked Outertale and how peaceful it was, it would be the perfect target. It would be easy to destroy, easy to kill the monsters living there. And by the time Ink and Dream, now also Blue, showed up to save the day, it would be too late. Nightmare would make sure the whole Au had been turned to dust by that point. That would surely not only devastate several monsters from different Aus, but also Ink and Dream.

Outertale was the perfect target.

***

“This place is beautiful.”

Nightmare had to admit he agreed with Horror’s statement, not that he would say it out loud. He had always liked the night sky, even before he’s corrupted form. He was aware Sans’ liked watching the stars, mainly because Classic Sans was fascinated by them, so it was no surprise his gang members liked them too, especially considering three of them had been like Classic Sans once. None of them tried to hide it at the moment either. Killer, Horror and Dust all seemed to forget why they were even there when they saw the beautiful atmosphere that surrounded Outertale.

No matter where you were in Outertale, you could see the galaxy. The night sky was filled with stars in all sizes, some brighter than others. Several shades of blue could be seen and a couple of places were completely black, except for the stars. Sometimes a meteor could be seen far away from where they stood.

Nightmare and his gang were hidden near a cliff not far from one of the cities, perfectly hidden from the citizens, which seemed ideal for the moment, considering at least three of the four gang members were completely star struck by the galaxy. Maybe Outertale could become the gangs training/calming ground after they destroyed its citizens. Despite what many monsters though, Nightmare could not destroy an Au. He could destroy more than many others, almost leaving it in the same state as Cross’ Au, but he could not erase it. He had heard about someone who could, but have never met him.

Bringing his gang members to focus on the task at hand, Nightmare sent them away in two groups to do what they did best. He would do the same, but on his own.

It did not take long before the people in Outertale went into panic. All the monsters hurried to hide away somewhere from the strangers in their Au. Some monsters from the Royal Guard showed up and tried to get the situation under control, but they didn’t stand a chance.

Nightmare and his gang stayed close to each other, despite the monsters in Outertale did not pose any threat. However, all of them stopped their destruction when Horror swung his axe towards a monster, but it stopped midair. The axe hung in midair for a short moment, until it suddenly changed direction and came right back towards Horror, who dodged it.

While the monster Horror was about to kill ran away, all five of the Bad Sans’ saw the only monster that would stand a chance against them; Outertale Sans. Despite being their biggest threat, none of them was worried about him. Outertale Sans was a lot like Classic Sans, including his STATs. He did not stand a chance against any of them.

Outer stood with a lazy smile as always, despite not feeling relaxed in any way. He had no idea who these five new skeletons were, but from what he could see they had done to his Au, he knew he did not stand a chance against them. That did not mean he couldn’t try to stop them. They had already ruined much of his city before he showed up. He could not stand by and watch them destroy the rest.

“Well, you guys seem to be _out of this world_,” Outer started, his left eye started to glow. “I think you should have stayed there.”

The Dark Sans’ chuckled. They knew Outer sounded more confident than he was, but they could play along. Killer stepped a couple of steps closer to him, holding his knife ready. “You seem pretty confident. Why don’t you _comet_ me? It would be _knife_ to meet you.”

Outer’s smile widened a little at the puns, and he hated himself for it. Nevertheless, the two of them stopped exchanging puns and looked each other down. Soon Killer got tired of the waiting and charged at Outer, who easily dodged the attack by jumping up. Thanks to the antigravity, he had time to shoot an attack down towards Killer. Outer’s attacks did not consist of bones, but stars.

Killer sliced the stars in half before they hit him. He had been surprised Outer dodged him so easily, but he reminded himself that Outer was more used to the antigravity than him, which gave Outer a small advantage. It was a shame he could not play around with Outer a little, but they had all gotten orders that none of their fights should last too long. They could not risk having the Star Sans’ find them.

Killer kept attacking Outer. Outer was good at dodging like any other Sans, but he was not used to be up against an opponent so fast, or any for that matter. It did not take long before he started to get tired of the fighting, even less before he only focused on defense. Outer dodged another attack, but this time Killer took a hold of his hoddie. Outer had little time to react as Killer swung him away, making him crash into a cliff near the city. The blow to the cliff left Outer badly wounded. Instead of getting up and continue the fight, he slid down to the ground in pain.

Outer panted and looked up with an eye socket closed. He could feel his soul had taking damage, bringing his HP below 1. Outer knew he did not stand a chance against these skeletons, but he had hoped he could have giving a better fight. After just one attack from Killer and he knew, that was not the case. Outer looked down to the ground, angry at himself for not being able to protect his Au.

Having noticed Outer was tired of fighting, Killer did not hurry over to finish the job. Outer had lasted longer than he thought, but it was time to end it. Raising his knife, he was ready to deliver the final blow, but was suddenly stopped by a string wrapping around his arm holding the knife. Killer had no time to question it as he was swung backwards, the string releasing him to make him fly farther away.

Nightmare stretched one of his tentacles high up in the air, catching Killer and breaking his fall. Both he and his gang members looked towards Outer, even though they knew the skeleton on the ground was not the source of the unexpected attack. All of them were surprised by the sudden attack, but even more by the dark skeleton that had appeared before Outer, protecting him from them.

The skeleton were without a doubt a Sans. His hoodie was completely black, except for the blue flush inside the hood and the yellow strings and openings of the pockets of the hoodie. His short was black as well with a blue stripe on each of the sides. He wore a red T-shirt and black/red slippers. His skull was black, but the rest of his bones (that you could see) were red, except for his phalanges, which were yellow. His eye sockets were red with two yellow dots, the left bigger than the right. He had blue stripes going down from his eye sockets and slightly yellow teeth. Small Error signs appeared once in a while around him.

At the moment, the strange skeleton looked not so happy.

Nightmare had a pretty good guess as to who stood before him. He had of course heard about the God of Destruction, better known as Error. He was a powerful skeleton you did not want to mess with. Nightmare had heard about some foolish monster in an unknown Au who had tested his luck against Error. That ended with Error taking control of the monster’s soul and forcing him to kill everyone he cared about. While the foolish monster cried for everyone he had been forced to kill, Error destroyed the Au.

Error was not happy about Killer being sat safely on the ground. He raised one arm before him and blue strings were sent towards Killer, who tried to dodge them but was not fast enough. He cried out in surprise as the strings took a hold around his soul, preventing him from doing anything.

Horror, Dust and Cross immediately either tried to help Killer free from the strings or ran towards Error to attack him. Error barely showed any emotion as he raised his other hand and sent strings after the three remaining gang members, taking a hold of their souls too. He raised all four of them slightly in the air, but kept his gaze on Nightmare in case he tried anything. The other four were no longer a threat.

Nightmare looked up at his gang members. All four tried to break free from the strings, but since they were around their souls, it was an impossible task. Cross was the first to accept that and looked down towards the ground in curiosity. Nightmare got eye contact with Cross, and after seeing he was not being harmed (and assuming the others weren’t either) returned his gaze to Error. He was sure his gang members were annoyed about being captured, but as long as they weren’t in any pain, Nightmare would let them remain where they were for now.

Nightmare had no idea how strong Error was, let alone if he was stronger than him. He suspected Error was as strong as Ink. He did not know Error’s personality, but he doubted he was as careful about his attacks as Ink sometimes could be. And yet he did not harm any of his gang members, just held them captive.

Error took his chance to look away from Nightmare and looked down at Outer. The space themed skeleton was still on the ground and in pain, but he tried to reassure Error by a smile. Error rolled his eyes at him, but returned his gaze on Nightmare. He just wanted to make sure Outer was not dying. He did know he could not let Outer stay like that on the ground for too long, so he hoped he could get this over with quickly.

Nightmare, in the meantime, thought about what to do. He could take his chance and attack Error, but that could become a mistake he would regret. Error literally hold his gang members lives in a string. He could kill them all in a second if he wanted to. If Nightmare attacked him, he may do it so he did not have to worry about them anymore.

And Nightmare had to admit he did not want the God of Destruction as an enemy.

“Error, the God of Destruction,” he addressed the other.

Since Error had not attacked any of them (except for Killer), he may be able to talk to. If he wanted to kill them, he most likely would have done so by now.

“Nightmare, the King of Negativity,” Error addressed him by his own title, voice glitching slightly as he spoke. He looked up towards the skeletons he held in his strings. “And his gang, I presume.”

“I take it you heard about us?”

“Hard not to with all the chaos you’ve done lately,” answered Error. He looked at Nightmare again and smiled. “Monsters though I was the cause of it to begin with.”

“And you did not like that?”

Error shrugged. “I’m used to it,” he answered. “When something goes wrong, monsters usually blame me for it.”

Nightmare tried not to show his surprise, but he doubted he was successful. He could relate to Error on that point. That was the only thing the villagers back in his own Au did to him; blaming him for every little bad thing that happened to them. They even attacked him sometimes to make him ‘stop’, despite him having nothing to do with their lives.

Error noticed the other’s surprise. “Something I presume your familiar with?” he guessed and shrugged again. “Not that it surprises me. Monsters are quick to assume things, and once they made up their mind, there isn’t much to change it. They never think they could be the cause of their own problems.”

Nightmare shook his head. He did not need to be reminded of his past. “What do you want?” he asked.

Error narrowed his eyes. “I should be the one asking you that.”

“Destroying an Au. Isn’t that what you normally do? I never guessed the God of Destruction would protect an Au? Who are you? Ink?”

“Don’t compare me with that idiot!” Error growled. “I may the God of Destruction, but I don’t destroy unless I have to. And I do not want you or your little gang to harm this one. I don’t care about any other, but leave this one alone.”

“´Don’t destroy unless you have to´?”

“Long story,” Error sighed and looked briefly down at Outer again, who seemed about ready to pass out. “Which I do not have time to explain, nor do I want to. Thanks to you and your little gang, I now have a hurt skeleton and a scared Au. It will only be a matter of time before Ink notices, and I plan to be long gone when that happens. So, I’ll ask nicely this one time; leave this place and don’t do anything like this to it ever again.”

Nightmare again thought about what to do. Error was right, they had used a lot of time fighting Outer and now talking to Error. It will only be a matter of time before Ink and possibly Dream shows up. While that had been what Nightmare had hoped for, he expected to have left Outertale destroyed. Now, while Outertale had taken damage, it was nothing that couldn’t be repaired. Outer had stopped them rather quickly.

“Well, Error, how about we made some kind of deal?” Nightmare started, gaining Error’s attention again. “If you don’t harm my gang, we won’t harm Outertale or any monster that lives here, unless they for some reason attack us.”

Error waited a moment, but eventually put the four gang members back to the ground and released his hold on their souls. When the gang was sat down, they all looked towards Nightmare, in case it was bluff and they were expected to attack, but a shake of his skull told the gang Nightmare did not want them to attack Outertale anymore. The four of them instead stood beside him.

Nightmare made a portal back to their hideout, and one by one his gang members went through it. Error, seeing Nightmare and his gang did actually leave, let his guard down and kneeled down to Outer, who was now unconscious.

“One more thing, Error,” Nightmare said, the portal before him. “I would like to hear this story of yours. I’m sure it’s more complicated, maybe sadder, than I’m aware of.”

Error looked speechless at Nightmare.

Nightmare smiled slightly. “You may be the God of Destruction, but I can still sense your emotions. I must admit they are sadder than they are dark, which I did not expect. You kinda remind me of my gang members with those emotions. If you want to, you could join my team.”

Error narrowed his eye sockets slightly. “I work alone,” he said.

Nightmare could sense the other was getting nervous, but did not comment on it. “Think about it, and come with your answer to my hideout. I’m sure you know where it is.” Nightmare went through the portal and left Outertale.

Error had never thought about being in a team, and he did not want to think about it now. Outer needed help. Error needed to bring him back to his Papyrus before Ink showed up. He was sure he would see Nightmare and his gang again, but he doubted he was going to join them. He could not see himself as part of any kind of team.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Error visits Nightmare at the hideout and answer whether he wants to join or not.

Error was not sure why he was here, why he had decided to come. He had considered Nightmare’s offer of him joining the Dark Sans’, but he still could not see himself in a team. Besides, he was not supposed to do what he did to spread fear or any other negative emotion, but to make sure the Multiverse did not have too many Aus. Joining a team could definitely make the job easier and quicker. While that would not damage the Multiverse in any way, there was a chance it could make Ink insane. The Protector of the Multiverse was known to hate blank spaces, and hating those who was at fault for causing it. Error was not sure how Ink would react, but he doubted it would be pretty. And while Error could care less about Ink’s state of mind, he felt doing something like that would come back to haunt him.

Error was standing outside of Nightmare’s self proclaimed mansion. He was honestly surprised that he had not destroyed this Au, considering it was just an empty space. Error knew Nightmare was aware he was standing outside the mansion, yet he felt no rush to go inside. And Nightmare properly was not in any rush to talk either. Error was not so sure about the gang members, but considering none of them had come out to ‘greet’ him, they either didn’t care, had been ordered to ignore him or did not know he was there.

Error sighed. Well, he was there and had no other plans, so he might as well see where this was going. Feeling lazy he did not walk up to the mansion. Instead he teleported himself inside, right in Nightmare’s office, where he knew the tar covered skeleton would be.

“You ever heard about knocking?”

Error shrugged. “You already knew I was here. Why bother?”

Error walked over to the nearest window, at the moment not noticing the skeleton he was there to see. Looking outside at the now almost monster less Au, he spotted Cross who seemed to be training by himself. Error was surprised he had not noticed the other skeleton while standing outside. The ground Cross trained at was not that far from the front of the mansion, but Cross were probably the stealthiest of the bunch, at least when it came to moving around.

“I’m surprised this place is still standing,” Error admitted, talking more to himself than Nightmare, though he knew the other was listening. “Everyone from this Au died a long time ago after all. It had been empty for a long time. I wonder how I never noticed that.”

“You prefer to destroy empty Aus?” Nightmare asked.

If Nightmare had to be honest, he was not sure where this was going, if it was even leading to anywhere. While Nightmare could read Error’s emotions, the God of Destruction was still a mystery to him. He did not know much about Error, having only heard about him. Nightmare knew he could not depend on rumors. If those had been true, Error would have killed them all on sight, not try to get them to leave. While Error may not be as violent as he had heard, he still needed to be on guard.

Error shrugged again, keeping his gaze outside the window. “It’s easier that way,” he admitted. “Not even Ink says much to that. Of course, an empty Au like this one is rare.”

“What happened to it?” Nightmare had to admit he was curious about the Au he had decided to hide in, but at the same time had not thought too much about it. In the long run, it did not matter.

“A war,” Error answered, finally turning his gaze on Nightmare. “Between humans and monsters. In this Au, after the monsters were sent Underground, they wanted revenge on the humans, despite not having a powerful soul compared to them. They spent years Underground training to become stronger, make deadly weapons and, of course, trying to get back to the surface.”

“And they succeed?”

“You could say that. The monsters did escape from the Underground and started a war with the humans. The war want on for years, until both monsters and humans killed each other in a bomb explosion. The earth had been divided by the two races, and they both came up with the same idea; one giant bomb to kill the other.” Error shrugged and shook his head. “Pretty stupid if you ask me, but that is this Au’s story.”

That did sound pretty stupid, but it did explain a lot about the state of the Au. The mansion had not been completely destroyed when Nightmare found it, but it had looked about ready to collapse.

“Well, now that we’ve gotten the history lesson out of the way, let’s talk about why you’re really here,” Nightmare said.

Error hid his hands in his pockets and shrugged again (Nightmare wondered slightly if these shrugs meant something different each time). “Not much to talk about. I work alone, always have been, always will be,” Error answered.

“A shame, really, if you’ve want my opinion.”

Error smiled slightly. “When did I say I wanted that?”

Nightmare rolled his eye light. He should have gotten angry or even attacked the other for that comment, but he surprisingly did not feel any anger. Maybe his gang members had something to do with that, they could also come up with a good comeback when they wanted to.

“You could become a lot stronger, you know.”

“Listen, Nightmare, I do not need to become stronger. My job is just to make sure the Multiverse doesn’t get too many Aus. I do not need to be part of any team for that. I know you want to become stronger, I know you want this team to spread fear in every monster’s soul, but I do not. I also know you just want me to be part of your little gang to spread fear. After all, the God of Destruction has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?”

Nightmare stared for a moment. Error was right about some of it, his team would definitely become stronger with him on the team, but Nightmare also felt he could help the other. Error was a mystery. Nightmare could sense Error’s emotions, at the same time he couldn’t. There was a sadness and anger over the other, but Nightmare felt like he could not sense it completely. He had long since stopped denying (at least to himself) that he did not care about the others. He still did not care about anybody outside his gang. Other’s misery and death did not concern him. Yet here stood the God of Destruction, a skeleton he had only seen once before, and he felt like he should keep an eye on him, protect him if necessary.

But what kind of God needed protection? And from what?

Nightmare could not understand his own emotions, nor did he have any time to figure them out. He thought about his words before answering. “I will not lie that you would make my gang stronger,” he admitted. “But I cannot force you to join.” He considered for a second to admit some of his thoughts, but decided against it. They were quite embarrassing, when he thought about it.

The two of them stared at each other, both not knowing what to do nor say. Eventually, it was Nightmare who broke the silence. “Why did you come?” he wondered. “I doubt you would have come just to let me know you wouldn’t be part of a team. That seems like a waste of time.”

Error shrugged while replying. “I don’t have much to do. The Void is rather empty,” he started, then getting serious. “You are right, though. I wanted to make sure you did not decide to attack Outertake again.”

“You really _do_ care about that Au?”

“It’s the only one I like, I don’t want it destroyed,” Error admitted, suddenly looking down. “And I don’t want Outer getting hurt either.” He added in a moment of weakness.

Error’s attachment to Outertale was stronger than Nightmare thought. He did want Error’s trust, and while Outertale had been a perfect target earlier, it was not the only place many monsters liked. And leaving one Au alone wasn’t that big of a deal. Still, Nightmare knew if the promise was made, he may not see Error again.

“How about we make some kind of agreement?”

Error looked up at him again, curious.

“We leave Outertale alone and in exchange, you could let my gang join you once in a while when you’re going to destroy an Au. I’m sure they would like to help.” Nightmare paused for a second. “You do kill monsters before destroying their Au, right?”

“It’s easier that way, not all monsters just stand by while their Au is being erased,” Error admitted. “They want to see that kind of destruction?”

“Definitely. They have been wondering about how you do that since we saw you. It would be good training for them, and you won’t have to do all the killing. And it would give me some peace from sending them… and from sending them to Aus.”

“They can’t leave on their own?”

“Nope.”

“Huh, maybe I can help with that,” Error thought out loud. He looked slightly up at the ceiling while thinking about what Nightmare had said. “Well, if they really want to see an Au being destroyed, even help with it, I can’t see why I can’t bring them along. It would get the job done faster.”

“So I can take that as a yes?”

“Sure. I must admit I’ve been curious about why Ink have been after you and your gang so must. It could be interesting to see what you guys are really made off.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I made Error kind of a part time member, if I can call it that. I'm not sure why, but I don't see Error being part of the team, at least not completely. That may be thanks to the whole forced God of Destruction. I don't think it would be a problem if that wasn't the case. It could be fun to make a story about the gang being exactly like what they are said to be; crazy, insane, cold etc. 
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading :D


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Error takes Nightmare and the gang with him to erase an Au.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOTE: I've made some changes in the first two chapters, but not too much. If you've read them before these changes, you don't need to read them again, as the same things happen, I've just changes some sentences to make it sound better (at least according to me). But the story is the same.
> 
> Anyway, I finally wrote this chapter and finished this story. Took me longer than I thought, but I'm glad I finally came back to it.

Error had promised he would come back to the hideout as soon as he needed to erase an Au. He could not say when that would happen, as it depended on the Multiverse’s balance. The gang had been disappointed by that, but accepted it and remained patient as that was the only thing they could do.

Error never returned to the hideout in all that time they waited. Nightmare kind of wanted him to become closer with him and the gang, to trust them to have his back when he needed it, but also knew Error was a reserved skeleton. Gaining his trust was not going to be easy, but a good start was to keep his promise to the Destroyer, which they had. None of them had set foot in Outertale since they tried to destroy it. Nightmare had heard the space-themed Au had repaired all the damage they had made and now tried to move on from what had happened. He could still sense fear coming from the citizens in Outertale, fear of the possibility he and his gang returned and would finish what they started. Nightmare knew Ink and Dream had been to the Au several times since then, helping with the repairs. He doesn’t know if Error had been caught during those visits, as the glitchy skeleton visited Outertale a lot.

It appeared Error had not been caught. One day he showed up at the hideout, again appearing in Nightmare’s office, to announce he needed to destroy an Au. The two of them talked about what the best way were for them to do it, but not for long. Error knew what to expect from this Au, explaining it was always a good idea to be prepared. He hadn’t said more about it than that, saying he would rather say it to all of them so he only needed to explain it once.

Nightmare accepted this and asked Error to wait while he gathered the gang. Before they returned to Error, Nightmare warned them all to be careful around the Destroyer. He wanted Error to trust them; at the same time he did not know how much they could trust him. Nightmare doubted he was going to kill them without a reason, which was also why they needed to be careful; none of them should risk making him angry. For now they needed to do exactly what he said and keep an eye on him, just in case he decided to try something.

The gang all understood Nightmare’s warnings and promised to be on their best behavior; as much as they could, anyway.

Returning to his office with the gang in tow, Nightmare spotted Error near the bookshelf. The Destroyer looked over at them when they walked in, looking at him in curiosity. Error took a deep breath to keep calm and hoped none of them notices. He had been the center of attention every time he erased an Au, which was to be expected. Those times people would usually look at him in anger or fear, he was not used to this kind of attention, and it was making him uncomfortable.

Ignoring his nerves as best as he could, Error started explaining what was going to happen. “We’re going to a peaceful Au,” he started. “However, they do know how to fight and will do as soon as they see us. They do not like strangers. You can do whatever you want with them; they’re gonna die anyway.”

“Do we have time to gather supplies?” Horror asked. “We’re running out of food.”

“You can. I don’t have anything better to do so I can wait a little. Just be quick about it,” Error said and looked at the four gang members. “You four can’t teleport between Au’s, can you?”

They shook their skull.

“Then you need to keep an eye on the sky. When I’m about to erase the Au, Gaster Blasters would appear all over the Au. Trust me you’ll know if they’re mine. When that happens, you four _have_ to find either me or Nightmare. I don’t care what you were doing or how much fun you have when that happens; you _must_ leave immediately and find either one of us. The Gaster Blasters will destroy the Au, and if you don’t escape in time you will be erased with it, and there is no way to bring you back. I’ll stay where we appear at the Au, if you can’t find Nightmare, return to that spot and I’ll return you to the hideout. It’s the last place to be erased, so you can just teleport there.”

Everyone nodded, indicating they understood what Error had said. Nightmare made a mental note to keep an eye out on where his gang would be, just in case. That meant he could not help them that much in destroying the Au, but knew they could do that fine without him, just not as quick. His gang members could be distracted, and while that would normally just be annoying, this time it could cost them their life. Nightmare doubted that would happen, as they were very well aware of it, but he still felt like he needed to keep an eye on them.

When he was sure everyone understood his warning, Error made a portal to the random Au he had decided needed to be erased. Like Error had predicted, it was a peaceful world where humans and monsters lived together on the surface. They were ready to fight when they discovered the strangers in their world started destroying everything around them, yet they didn’t stand a change as they one by one got killed by the Dark Sans’.

Through it all Nightmare always made sure he knew where each of his gang members were, which at the moment was not difficult as they all fought together. Error had only moved a few feet from the spot they had appeared when they arrived. He was learning against a tree with his eye sockets closed, seemed to be completely oblivious as to what was going on around him. Nightmare knew Error was aware of everything that took place, and it was proved when Nightmare went over to him and Error opened his eye sockets before Nightmare reached him.

“You seem pretty calm,” Nightmare commented.

“So do you,” Error said and shrugged. “I’ve done this many times before… Well, I’ll admit this is the first time I just stand by and let things happen.”

“You’re not worried Ink or Dream’s gonna show up?”

“Nope. If it happens, it happens. I’ve destroyed many Au’s without Ink noticing.”

“I thought he loved his creations?”

“He does as far as I’m aware,” Error admitted. “But the Multiverse is big. Ink has thousands, if not millions, different Au’s. It can be hard to keep track of all of them. If one as peaceful and uneventful as this one disappears, there’s a good change he won’t notice… That doesn’t mean I like to take chances. I’m going to destroy this Au pretty soon, so I’d suggest you start looking for your gang.”

Nightmare looked confused at Error, as he knew the gang was not far from them. Yet he did not question the Destroyer and made his way back, thinking maybe Error just wanted to be left alone.

Unfortunately, that was not the case.

As Nightmare came back to where he had been before talking to Error, he discovered two of the gang was gone. Killer and Dust were close to where he had left them, working together in killing the monsters that still tried to kill them. Horror and Cross on the other hand was nowhere to be found. What was even worse was the fact there still were a lot of monsters and humans alive in this Au, meaning he had a hard time sensing them. It made Nightmare a little nervous, but he trusted Horror and Cross could take care of themselves.

Beside how hard was it to return to them when Gaster Blasters appeared in the sky?

Apparently harder than he thought. When he saw several glitching Gaster Blasters appear in the sky. Nightmare turned around to Error, ready to ask if he could wait just a minute, but discovered the Destroyer were no longer where he had been a minute ago.

Error had walked away the moment Nightmare went back to his remaining gang members. Despite the panic around the city and the huge Gaster Blasters in the sky gathering energy between their jaws, Error walked calmly through the city until he stood in front of a store. Walking in he was not surprised to find it mostly empty. He spotted some random monsters hiding, but paid them no mind as he walked past them. They probably thought he hadn’t seen them.

Walking down one of the store’s aisles, Error spotted those he had been looking for. Horror and Cross were busy taking whatever they thought they needed in some bags, which they both had two of each. Horror was looking around the meat section while Cross was looking through the candy section. Luckily Cross finished his ‘shopping’ and went over to Horror when Error arrived. The two missing gang members talked happily to each other when they felt like they were being watched. Turning around they both jumped back at seeing Error standing next to them, having not noticed him until now. Error glared at them, making them squirm a little. They thought only Nightmare’s glare could make them nervous.

“I thought I told you to keep an eye on the sky,” Error said annoyed like he was lecturing disobedient children.

Horror and Cross did not answer, knowing they could not provide a good one. They smiled sheepishly as they realized they had been distracted for too long.

“We, uh, needed supplies,” Horror said weakly. He was not entirely scared of Error, but more embarrassed about the situation he found himself in. “And this was the closest store.”

Error’s glare did not lessen, indicating he did not accept that excuse.

“And, uh, we could not see the sky thanks to the ceiling.”

Error raised his left hand and not a moment later a beam of black light cut through on top of them, destroying the ceiling, showing Horror and Cross all the glitchy Gaster Blasters in the sky. One of them disappeared, being the one who had destroyed the ceiling. The store now looked like someone had cut it with a knife. Pits and pieces fell to the ground after the destruction, hitting all three skeletons, yet none of them seemed to care. The monsters that had been hiding in the store ran away screaming when the ceiling disappeared over their heads.

Horror and Cross looked up at the sky, now seeing how the Gaster Blasters had gathered black and glitchy beams of light between their jaws. They knew the only reason they did not attack the Au was because their master had not giving them permission to fire.

“An easy fix,” Error said while stones still fell from the ceiling around them. “Remember what I said about being careful?”

“Sorry, Error,” they both mumbled.

Error rolled his eye lights, losing his glare. “Just grab what you’ve found,” he sighed. He then smiled at them. “Your leader’s worried.”

That made Horror and Cross share a nervous look. A worried Nightmare would transform to a mad Nightmare when he found out they were not hurt, but had forgotten to pay attention to what Error had warned them about.

Nightmare was good at hiding his emotions, so no one could see how panicked he was when the glitchy Gaster Blasters gathered magic between their jaws. Killer and Dust had come back to him when that happened. Nightmare managed to make a portal that would bring them back to the hideout despite his panicked mind. He still had no idea where Horror and Cross were, and now that Error was nowhere in sight only made it worse.

Nightmare finally spotted Error, walking casually back towards him. What surprised him was Horror and Cross right behind him, both carrying a couple of bags. Nightmare could have slapped himself; he had completely forgotten Horror had wanted to steal some food, and it would make sense for him to bring someone with him so they could gather more.

“That portal needs to be bigger if all five of you want to stay ‘till the end,” Error commented as they reached them.

Nightmare, not knowing how to react, just did as Error told him and made the portal a little bigger.

Error smiled at that, before looking at the five of them, now standing next to each other in a perfect line. “The Gaster Blasters is going to make a huge explosion in a moment,” Error started to explain. “When that happens you can stay for a minute or two, but when everything is turning white, you need to get outta here. If the white reaches you, you will be erased as well. Do not take any changes. You will see this again another time, so don’t try to take everything in this time.” Turning to Nightmare, he added; “I trust you will push them in if they get distracted.”

“Oh, I will,” Nightmare said, finally finding his voice. He could see at the corner of his eye that Horror and Cross shared a look with each other, knowing that comment had been pointed at them. Nightmare smirked at that. He would deal with them later; now was not the time.

The four gang members looked in awe when the destruction Error had just talked about happened. It was beautiful as all Gaster Blasters fired at the same time, making a deafening sound in the process. The explosion came not long after that, lighting the whole Au up for a moment, forcing all the skeletons to look away. When the light disappeared, small sparkles of lights fell slowly to the ground like snowflakes on a cold winter day. It was a beautiful sight; Cross seemed especially awed by it. It did not last long. That’s when they noticed how everything turned white far away from them, like flooding water following the current it was headed their way. Cross froze at the whiteness that came their way, being reminded of his time trapped in his own Au. Nightmare sensed his fear and asked them all to go through the portal; the white background was getting too close for his comfort anyway.

The last thing he saw before he too went through the portal was Error, looking at him with an unreadable expression. He did not have time to question it as the Destroyer created his own portal and disappeared without another word.

The portal brought them back to the mansion’s living room. After he returned to the hideout, the portal closed itself behind him, leaving the Au to be erased with its inhabitants. Nightmare noticed in that short while he had not been with the gang, Horror had managed to get the bags with the food into the kitchen and for Killer and Dust to make sure Cross was okay. Cross still seemed a little shaken from being reminded about his own Au, but seemed to be okay.

When Horror returned from the kitchen, he again looked sheepishly at Nightmare. “You mad?” he asked.

That got the attention of Killer, Dust and Cross. Cross looked down, not happy about what he had done but knowing he could not escape the lecture. Killer and Dust looked confused at the other three skeletons, as they had been oblivious to it all thanks to keeping themselves busy by killing the monsters and humans in the Au. Despite being curious, they did not ask what had happened.

“No,” Nightmare answered honestly. “I know none of you are used to be on a timer. Just… pay more attention next time. All of you,” he added, as he knew Killer and Dust could be just as easily distracted as Horror and Cross.

All of the gang members nodded in understanding. A deafening silence fell over them, no one knowing what to say.

“That was awesome!” Cross broke the silence, gaining everyone’s attention in surprise at his sudden excitement. Cross had a glint in his eye sockets and a smile on his face. “I’ve never seen anything like that before! I thought Error’s powers sounded awesome before, I never imagined they would look like that! Man, I can’t wait ‘till he takes us to help him again!”

His excitement put a smile on the others faces as well, reminding them all what they had just witnessed and helped doing. Nightmare decided to retrieve to his office when the gang started to talk about what they had seen. He did stay long enough to hear from Cross how Error had found them in the store, and how he had blasted the ceiling to prove a point. The whole incident would make Horror and Cross embarrassed for the rest of their lives, yet it would also bring laughter to them and their companions.

Returning to his office Nightmare was surprised when he discovered the God of Destruction sitting in his chair, one foot resting on top of his desk while the other swung back and forth. Error smiled as he saw Nightmare, and even more when he saw the other’s surprised expression.

“Your gang acts a little like children,” Error commented, not only referring to Horror and Cross for running away, but also to Killer and Dust for their excitement in killing other people. It was like watching a child saying they could take whatever they wanted in a toy store.

“You have no idea,” Nightmare said, closing the door behind him.

He had no idea why Error was even there, but was really glad about it. It showed the Destroyer was not offended at all for having to retrieve two of his gang members; something he did not have to do.

“Uhm, thanks by the way, for, you know, finding them.”

“No problem. There was no reason to let them be erased.”

“Still, you did not need to do it and I… appreciate that you did.”

Error smiled. “You know, for the King of Negativity, you don’t sound very negative right now.”

“You shouldn’t expect me to say things like that too often.”

“Good to know.”

It was silent between them for a moment.

“Well, I just returned here to let you know I have no idea when we can do this again, but I’ll be sure to stop by when the Multiverse needs to have another Au erased,” Error said, standing up from the chair and getting ready to leave.

“Wait!” Nightmare said, stopping Error in his tracks. “I know you don’t want to be part of my team, but…” This might be a bad idea, he thought. “You could still drop by sometimes, if you want to. I meant it when I said I would like to hear your story, if you want to reveal it. If it’s a secret I won’t tell anyone. I… just want you to know you’re welcome here, Error.”

Error blinked a couple of times, having not expected to hear something like that from the King of Negativity. He had always been afraid to let people in, because he’s afraid they would hurt him in the end. The first monster he had ever told everything to was Outer, and he had never regretted that decision. Outer would always be there for him, he knew that, yet he also knew with all the times he had showed up in Outertale and how Nightmare and his gang almost destroyed it recently, it was now one of the most protected Aus, meaning he had to be more careful if he wanted to talk to Outer. His friendship with the space-themed skeleton was a secret, and he was afraid how Ink would react if he found out. He’s sure Ink wouldn’t hurt Outer, yet he could not help but think that might happen.

Having another place he could go to when he felt lonely sounded nice, something he had never thought he wanted since meeting Outer. He suspected Nightmare have suggested it in hope he might join the gang one day, but could not be sure. He was not sure what kind of relationship the gang had with each other and Nightmare, but Error knew it was stronger than what they showed in public. It couldn’t hurt to see where Nightmare wanted this to go.

That did not mean he was going to reveal everything just like that, or seem like he wanted their friendship. “I’ll have to consider it,” he said, hoping he sounded like he hadn’t already made up his mind. “I’ll see you around.” Error did not give Nightmare a change to answer as he disappeared, though Nightmare felt like he did not need to say anything to that anyway.

Nightmare smiled at the space Error had just been standing, thinking he might have gained a great ally today, maybe friend. Whatever was going to happen between them, he was glad he had met the God of Destruction. Error was a mystery Nightmare was not sure he could solve completely, nor was he sure he needed to. He still felt that need to protect Error, yet was still not sure from what or who. Maybe Error’s past could help him figure it out? For now he was going to keep that feeling hidden away from everyone, even his gang.

One thing was for sure, he was going to see the God of Destruction again; a powerful monster with a reputation that did not describe him, just like it had not described him or his gang correctly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is how Nightmare and the gang met Error. As for Nightmare's little protective side towards Error, I see it mostly with how Error is made out to be; soulless, cold, insane. Nightmare knows Error is not like that and wants to help him get a better life, like he did with the rest of the gang. Nightmare may also feel this connection with Error as they are both blamed by others for every misfortune.
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading my story. I hope you liked it :D

**Author's Note:**

> I´ve always liked the possibility about Error and Outer being friends. I think it is a fact that Error likes Outertale, so I don´t think he wants to destroy it, or let anyone else destroy it. And Outertale Sans is pretty much like Classic Sans, so I think he would notice if Error visited his Au, but since Error didn´t do anything to it, he didn´t care.


End file.
